Gun found at Wilson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spoke with a police officer the other day, pointing out a student throwing rocks at passersby on Wisconsin after school. I have heard repeatedly on this thread that police are asked by the school to 'go soft' on such nonsense..is this true?

How did the police officer respond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spoke with a police officer the other day, pointing out a student throwing rocks at passersby on Wisconsin after school. I have heard repeatedly on this thread that police are asked by the school to 'go soft' on such nonsense..is this true? The problem.ia that if you don't draw the line somewhere and intervene as responsible adults, then kids do escalate. Whether the weapons are brought to hurt someone or as protection from being hurt - that should not happen twice in a week. Speaks to the school being run by student giving in to their worst instincts, rather than adults leading them to their Hughes expectations. This needs to be addressed in partnership with community and police; Wilson is not a silo.

This is true, unfortunately. I heard the same thing from a Metro cop -- a different police force -- in the Tenleytown station about 18 months ago. That was when Cahall was principal. I had hoped it had changed under the new principal, but it's still the same administrative apparachiks in place beneath her, so probably little is different.

What is the rationale behind "going soft" on poor behavior in the neighborhood? Are you saying that the school is asking police to ignore this behavior?

[Anonymous]

Was the gun loaded? functional? were there any bullets anywhere? Does the kid have a mental health history? Any instances of aggressive behavior in school or out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happened several times when I was in high school in early nineties (in Florida.) There were no metal detectors. The administration would get tipped off by a student.

I remember one time they didn't even wait for the cops. The assistant principal just went into the classroom and wrestled the kid to the ground. You gotta love Florida!

A kid brought a gun to my high school in Rockville in the early 1990s one day. Don't recall him being expelled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happened several times when I was in high school in early nineties (in Florida.) There were no metal detectors. The administration would get tipped off by a student.

I remember one time they didn't even wait for the cops. The assistant principal just went into the classroom and wrestled the kid to the ground. You gotta love Florida!

A kid brought a gun to my high school in Rockville in the early 1990s one day. Don't recall him being expelled.

Well, that was pre-Columbine now, wasn't it?

It's possible that there can be a transfer of a student to a different school, or some other type of arrangement other than expulsion, but I don't think people need to apologize for extremely severe consequences for this. There is no kid currently attending school in America that doesn't know how much trouble they will be in if found with a gun. If you go ahead and do it anyway, there is a serious issue. Major interventions are required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The poster arguing that expulsion is too harsh - what are your thoughts on what message it sends to the other students if bringing a gun to class doesn't even warrant the harshest penalty? Also, what are your thoughts on how such a situation would impact the work environment/ability to attract and retain teachers? I'm going to assume not many teachers look to work in a place where bringing guns to school is tolerated. There is part of me that understands where you're coming from, but I also think the picture is much bigger than just one student.

I'm not saying expulsion is too harsh. I'm saying that automatically expelling the child without any knowledge of the circumstances is poor judgement. I prefer to have all the facts at hand before rendering a decision.

Obviously, we differ in our approach to problem-solving.

What circumstances matter? That he usually carries the gun, but "forgot" he had it when he went to school? That he comes from a poor background? That he needs the gun to give him self-esteem? That the gun creates a "safe space" for him?!

Sorry, but I just don't see any circumstances (short of someone else planting the gun without his knowledge) that should mitigate his immediate expulsion from the school. He's created a danger for himself and others.

Of course you don't, and until you stop talking and start listening you'll never know.

[Anonymous]

I think folks are on the wrong track in worrying about the punishment for this kid - he is after all someone's child and we don't know his motivation for bringing the gun to school. And obviously he deserves to be punished. As a Wilson parent there are more pressing questions on my mind:

Are there structures and triage in place to identify kids who might be having trouble to prevent this in the first place? Are all kids empowered to go find help for friends who might be in a dark space? Does Wilson implement best practices for creating a safe and supportive school climate? Does Wilson operate a positive school climate where all kids can thrive? What is it about Wilson that makes it OK to bring a weapon to school?

Punishment is not a deterrent. There needs to be some hard discussions about school climate, prevention and even best pratices like restorative justice. There is a ton of research on this stuff - soley focusing on punishment and metal detectors are not the answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think folks are on the wrong track in worrying about the punishment for this kid - he is after all someone's child and we don't know his motivation for bringing the gun to school. And obviously he deserves to be punished. As a Wilson parent there are more pressing questions on my mind:

Are there structures and triage in place to identify kids who might be having trouble to prevent this in the first place? Are all kids empowered to go find help for friends who might be in a dark space? Does Wilson implement best practices for creating a safe and supportive school climate? Does Wilson operate a positive school climate where all kids can thrive? What is it about Wilson that makes it OK to bring a weapon to school?

Punishment is not a deterrent. There needs to be some hard discussions about school climate, prevention and even best pratices like restorative justice. There is a ton of research on this stuff - soley focusing on punishment and metal detectors are not the answers.

+1,000 Well put

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think folks are on the wrong track in worrying about the punishment for this kid - he is after all someone's child and we don't know his motivation for bringing the gun to school. And obviously he deserves to be punished. As a Wilson parent there are more pressing questions on my mind:

Are there structures and triage in place to identify kids who might be having trouble to prevent this in the first place? Are all kids empowered to go find help for friends who might be in a dark space? Does Wilson implement best practices for creating a safe and supportive school climate? Does Wilson operate a positive school climate where all kids can thrive? What is it about Wilson that makes it OK to bring a weapon to school?

Punishment is not a deterrent. There needs to be some hard discussions about school climate, prevention and even best pratices like restorative justice. There is a ton of research on this stuff - soley focusing on punishment and metal detectors are not the answers.

I agree and I hope Wilson and DCPS will take this very seriously and convey to the community what they are doing. The Beacon reported that the kid had it out, under his desk, in the middle of math class. The person who caught it on Snapchat was in class at the time. Very scary for all.

[jsteele]

The Beacon article is here:

http://thewilsonbeacon.com/gun-confiscated-from-wilson-student/

It's much more informative than the Post's article.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:The Beacon article is here:

http://thewilsonbeacon.com/gun-confiscated-from-wilson-student/

It's much more informative than the Post's article.

Another case where the students at Wilson are more sane and more capable of dealing with this stuff than the adults (including the adults on this board) who surround them.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:The Beacon article is here:

http://thewilsonbeacon.com/gun-confiscated-from-wilson-student/

It's much more informative than the Post's article.

So he was holding it under his desk in class? That's even more serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The poster arguing that expulsion is too harsh - what are your thoughts on what message it sends to the other students if bringing a gun to class doesn't even warrant the harshest penalty? Also, what are your thoughts on how such a situation would impact the work environment/ability to attract and retain teachers? I'm going to assume not many teachers look to work in a place where bringing guns to school is tolerated. There is part of me that understands where you're coming from, but I also think the picture is much bigger than just one student.

I'm not saying expulsion is too harsh. I'm saying that automatically expelling the child without any knowledge of the circumstances is poor judgement. I prefer to have all the facts at hand before rendering a decision.

Obviously, we differ in our approach to problem-solving.

What circumstances matter? That he usually carries the gun, but "forgot" he had it when he went to school? That he comes from a poor background? That he needs the gun to give him self-esteem? That the gun creates a "safe space" for him?!

Sorry, but I just don't see any circumstances (short of someone else planting the gun without his knowledge) that should mitigate his immediate expulsion from the school. He's created a danger for himself and others.

NP here. He obviously needs help, but he should get the help he needs outside of Wilson.

Of course you don't, and until you stop talking and start listening you'll never know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:The Beacon article is here:

http://thewilsonbeacon.com/gun-confiscated-from-wilson-student/

It's much more informative than the Post's article.

So he was holding it under his desk in class? That's even more serious.

was it loaded? did the kid have bullets to put in it? No one seems very interested in if the weapon was actually lethal.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:The Beacon article is here:

http://thewilsonbeacon.com/gun-confiscated-from-wilson-student/

It's much more informative than the Post's article.

That's good reporting there. I guess the new principal isn't stifling the student newspaper as many in the long DCUM thread feared.